A Grimm Adventure
by iEatIdiots
Summary: [Fairytale AU] A young blacksmith is destined to rescue an estranged sibling from an evil Snow King. Accompanied by a dancer with a shoe obsession and an exiled prince, the three form an unstoppable trio. Kingdoms away, a young boy is attempting to regain his princely status, while making his benefactor human again. At the same time, a charming princess is preparing for war.
1. The Nightingale Bird-en

Nya had returned home with her arms laden with fish and vegetables.

A tall, pale-skinned woman sat in the courtyard, sipping tea with Nya's mother. Nya arched a confused eyebrow at the strange sight. The village she lived in was small, and as the blacksmith, Nya knew the names and faces of everyone. The townspeople had round faces, upturned noses and hair dark as a carrion crow, while this woman's face was long, gaunt and pale as a ghost, with wide lips and a nose that resembled an eagle's beak. This peculiar face was framed with hair as gold as the sun and long as the branches of a weeping willow.

Travellers and visitors were rare, coming in the forms of the odd performance group or a young adventurer. The lady was at least her mother's age, if not a couple decades more. She was dressed too finely to be a performer, and sipped tea so nonchalantly that she could not be on a quest.

Nya stood awkwardly near the gates, pushing them shut with an elbow. She smiled a bit nervously at the tea-sipping duo, before placing her groceries down under the verandah.

"Ah, if this isn't Nya!" the tall woman turned to Nya, her mouth curling in a friendly smile. "I thought it would be good for me to visit. We have important news to discuss."

"Important news?" asked Nya, pulling out a chair, and seating herself down on the courtyard table.

"Indeed." The woman snapped her fingers. The porcelain kettle hovered in the air, pouring a stream of jasmine tea into a clean teacup for Nya.

Nya's eyes widened at the hovering teapot. This woman was a sorceress, or some magical spirit, something that was certainly more interesting than an average traveller. If her mother was willing to have tea with her, then the sorceress surely had to be benevolent. "Magical users don't come here often," she said. "What brings you to our house?"

"This lady has come to talk to you," Nya's mother replied, taking the teapot and pouring herself another round. "She believes you have a destiny to fulfill."

A destiny? Now that was something. Nya straightened up in her seat. "I have a destiny?" she said. The words felt weird in her mouth.

"Of course!" the lady beamed down at her. "Everyone has a destiny, from the richest emperor to the loneliest pauper! Your one is particularly spectacular, I might add."

Nya smiled. She hadn't considered much of the concept of destiny, thinking that she would spend her whole life running her late father's blacksmith shop. "That's comforting to hear," she said.

"I'll leave you two to discuss this alone," Nya's mother rose from her seat, picking up the teapot.

Turning to the sorceress, Nya asked, "So, what am I actually going to do with my life?"

"I have no idea. That's your destiny. I don't know where you end, I don't know all the details in the middle, but I do know what you're supposed to do," the sorceress inspected her nails, before facing Nya directly. "I'm your godmother, benefactor, whatever people call us these days," she said. "I've been with you since the week you were born, and the day you lost your brother."

At the mention of her brother, Nya grimaced. She never remembered Kai. He had been missing for 18 years, much to the dismay of the townspeople. Even almost two decades later, Nya would hear other talk of an energetic young boy, and what a shame it was to lose him.

"It's my fault for his disappearance, isn't it?" Nya said, covering her mouth with a palm. "That's why _they_ say."

The townspeople talked to Nya as little as possible – a difficult feat when she ran the only blacksmith shop for miles. _It's a shame that she's so plain_, they would chime amongst themselves. _For her birth brought forth her brother's demise_.

The sorceress did not reply. Instead, she sighed, tracing the edge of her teacup with a perfectly manicured finger.

Nya looked at the sorceress blankly.

"Your brother was cursed into a bird when he disappeared. None of it was your fault."

"Thank the gods," Nya said, relieved.

"You were a week old. Week old babies aren't able to do magic as complex as the spell placed on your brother. Don't flatter yourself and pretend you have innate magical abilities when you don't."

Instead of looking insulted, Nya looked even more relieved. Finally, she had some evidence against those asinine gossipers!

The sorceress did not meet Nya's eyes. "But your family's still responsible. It was your father who cursed your brother and forced me to transform him."

"But why would he do that?" Nya asked. Her father expressed nothing but sorrow every time her brother was mentioned. Her mother told her that her father loved Kai the most, and that he always hoped for Kai to run his business when older. On his deathbed, her father asked not for Nya, but for Kai. Eighteen years without him, but Kai was still his favourite child.

"Typical save-a-witch, gain-a-wish scenario," the sorceress said, her eyes travelling to the sky. "He rescued me from a weeping willow when I was a stag, and got a wish." At that, the sorceress paused, lowering her glance onto Nya. "Listen, Nya. One day you might be given a wish. It's a popular gift from witches, you see. Be careful of your words, because your father wasn't. Being emotional and losing control of your words can lead to a lost life."

Nya nodded, as if to say 'go on'.

"So, I turned him into a bird. Nothing major. I kept him in a cage, and he would sing. Kai's bird form was a nightingale, after all. They're beautiful birds, with beautiful voices." The sorceress sighed. "I kept him safe, and I treated him like my son."

"The reason for my visit is your brother," now, the sorceress' tone of voice sounded pained, as if she felt guilty about something. "He's disappeared once more. I opened his cage to let him stretch his wings, and he was swept by wind currents to the north-west. I was highly concerned, following him to ensure his safety, but I got to him too late."

Nya's hands tightened into a fist. _What a disappointment_, she thought. She was hoping to meet his brother sometime soon once she learnt he was alive and that she was destined for something great, and now that hope was shattered.

The sorceress noticed Nya's glare. "Oh no! Nya, sweetie, please don't be too concerned for your brother. He's not dead."

"He's still _gone_," Nya said, bitter. She thought of a small nightingale being swept by the winds, shot down by hunters or imprisoned by Middle Kingdom emperors. Would Kai being dead have been any different to Kai being alive? Nya never knew him. She never thought to have any sort of emotional connection to him.

But Kai… he was still a part of her life, wasn't he? He was her burden. His recklessness, his disappearance, he was the reason for the guilt Nya carried.

The sorceress reached into her bag, pulling out a golden bracelet, with a red stone set in it. The stone pulsed, glowing brighter almost every second. "He's alive," she said. "If he were dead, then this bracelet would have stopped pulsing. So either your brother is lost, or he's been taken."

The sorceress unrolled a map from her bag. She placed teacups on the corners to weigh it down, before pointing to a circled location. It was completely isolated, with no sign of humanity for miles.

"There," she said. "That was where I last saw him."

Nya looked at the map, studying it thoughtfully. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "That's… near the North."

"Precisely."

"It's snow-covered and cold," she said. "How on earth could a nightingale survive?"

The sorceress grinned, as if this was all a game. "That's for you to work out, and for you to tell me if you survive!"

"Oh, thanks," Nya said.

"You're welcome!" the sorceress smiled. "Nothing to do with your brother has been your fault, but it's still your destiny is rescue that chap!"

"Oh."

"You must talk to the sun. It was in the daytime when he was lost. If the sun does not respond, ask the moon, she sees what he does not."

Nya opened her mouth to ask how on earth she was supposed to talk to celestial objects, but closed it again. She knew that the sorceress would just reprimand her again, telling her to work it out herself.

"People have talked to the sun and moon for centuries," the sorceress added. "Why, I knew this girl who had her pet lark to fly upwards and ask the sun about the whereabouts of her husband!"

"Oh."

"Rescusing one's brother or husband is so common amongst adventurers in this world," the sorceress said. "Don't you want to be like one of the brave girls you've always admired?"

Nya nodded. "Of course I have. This… it all just feels so sudden, you know? You're kicking me out of my house, telling me to rescue a brother who I've never known…"

"It's your destiny."

"But, what is destiny? Why do I have to comply with it?"

The sorceress opened her mouth, as if to answer, but no words to come out. "… I don't know," she said. "But you're supposed to rescue your brother and break his curse."

Nya slouched in her chair. "Fine. I'll do it. But how do I carry out this destiny, persay? Break his curse, get him into a human form."

The sorceress rolled her eyes, and slumped across the table, frustrated. "Why must every single legacy ask this question?" she said, throwing her hands up. "I don't know! None of us know! You probably won't even know, but somehow, you'll know what to do!"

"That makes no sense!"

"It's your destiny, I say that you listen to your heart. Guide yourself with your moral compass, act on instinct, et cetera, et cetera."

"That's a lot to take in," Nya said with a frown, watching the sorceress rise from her seat to prepare to leave.

"And don't be afraid to ask for help! The world looks kindly on fairytale adventurers," the sorceress swung her bag over her shoulders. "Be nice to people and animals! They'll usually reward you later, if they aren't jerkasses."

"Oh, thanks," Nya said. "It's not like treating things kindly wasn't a thought that occurred to me before."

"Don't give me that attitude," the sorceress snapped her fingers. "Now, turn around. I must cut your hair."

"What?"

"I said, I must c–"

Nya sighed. "I'm sorry, Auntie*, but are you suggesting that this adventure, destiny-thing, means kicking me out of the village?"

"Oh, no, not the slightest! I mean, of course, perhaps a little, since you may never return and live your life elsewhere," the lady stammered, lowering her hands.

"…"

"… but I do apologise, most severely! I meant no harm by forgetting the implications of hair-cutting in this day and age."

"…"

"…"

"It's alright," Nya said, with a sigh. "Feel free to cut my hair."

"Thank you! Thank you!" the sorceress smiled. "There's not much to cut, but I hear long hair has been such a burden now. I do recall talking to some mermaids a few months ago, who cut their hair. Said that hair's selling at such a high price on the fairy black market!"

Nya nodded, taking in the sorceress' every word. If she were to go on some magnificent adventure, street knowledge was always handy.

"Such a shame that your hair is already so short, I won't be able to get anything too remarkable from it," the sorceress sighed, and snapped her fingers. Instantly, as if it were sliced with an invisible knife, locks of Nya's hair fell from its strands, and hovered upwards. The sorceress opened up a little pouch, and each lock floated in the pouch. "Perfect!" she said, satisfied. "You look great! The splitting image of a beginning adventurer."

"I would agree with you, if I had a mirror," Nya said. "I don't have a mirror, but I'm going to agree with you anyway. I look great all the time."

"That's the spirit! Now, go forth, and inspire people!"

Nya laughed, fiddling with the ends of her hair. "And rescue my brother?"

"Most definitely. I didn't come here to be your hairdresser. I'm your benefactor and your brother's godmother. Everything I do will be in your best interest. Now, have you considered when to leave?"

"A week at the most, I would say," said a voice from across the courtyard. Nya's mother leaned again the doorframe, holding a fresh pot of tea. "Nya, you look beautiful. I'm sure that short hair will come in handy one day." Walking over to the duo, she added. "As much as I would love for you to rescue our Kai as soon as possible, we must keep the blacksmith business running. I can manage the finances fine, but we'll have to find someone to craft the goods. And of course, there's still the issue of ensuring we send you on your adventure enough resources to keep you going."

The sorceress smiled warmly at her. "Lovely, lovely!" she said, clasping her arms together. "Looks like you two have the other destiny-shenanigans sorted. Now, I must honestly be going. I have a meeting with a few enchantresses. They need some expert advice on how to turn their stepsons into birds. Goodbye!"

Before Nya could even open her mouth to wish the sorceress farewell, the sorceress spun around, her skirts sweeping the ground, before vanishing. The only trace of the sorceress left in the room was the glowing red bracelet, and the map, full of doodles and notes.

Nya ran her hand over the border of the map, rolling it up. _Kai_, she thought, clutching the map. _We mightn't be close, but I'm still coming to rescue you. _

_Author Notes:_

*In East-Asian cultures, it's polite to call people who are your grandparent's age "grandma" or "grandpa", and people who are your parent's ages "auntie" or "uncle".


	2. And We'll Never Be Royals (Royals)

The wise man lowered his cup of tea, blinking slowly at the king kneeling in front of him. "Pray, do tell, what troubles your mind?"

"I am concerned about my son," the king replied in a bitter tone, laced with fretfulness.

A sigh escape the wise man. "Sons give us concerns constantly. What differs your concerns from those of ordinary folk?"

The king echoed the wise man's sigh. "My son, Jay, he's… different. I hate to say it, but his actions concern me. Other princes would be on adventures and battling foes. Jay cares too much for girls out of his league, and above all, he cares for new weaponry and machinery."

"There's nothing wrong about a young man with passion."

"But is he, well, having the right sorts of passion? I wish he would… go out and discover his destiny like ordinary princes. But all he does is frolic in fields and write love letters to girls who never reply. And please, address me as 'your Majesty'."

"Wise men living on the mountains do not bother to recognise the monarchy," the wise man laughed, stroking his beard. "And please, do not taint yourself with worry for your son. He will have his adventure and perhaps a sweetheart soon enough. A late-blooming prince is still a prince nonetheless."

The king nodded in acknowledgement of the man's words, but did not care to consider them. "Another concern of mine are trade routes. Since you mentioned Jay having a potential sweetheart, I believe it's about time for my heir to be married. Does it not make sense for him to be wed to a kingdom that provides an efficient way of enhancing our economy?"

"If you deem it necessary, so be it," the wise man nodded solemnly. "I may illuminate the path of your future, but I do not dictate it. Your destiny is completely in your control."

"If my destiny is in my control, then why do the bards still sing about the fates?" the king inquired, his smirk becoming increasingly arrogant. _This old man speaks naught but riddles_, he thought,_ but riddles always have a loophole. _

A smile curled up on the lips of the wise man. "Because if I said that fate could be controlled in the same way destiny can be, I will be watering the seeds of a beautiful lie." This shows

"But anyway, my son, his fate, is it good? Does he end up financially stable? Is his wife beautiful and brave?" the king asked, the tone of his voice increasing to a panic.

The wise man rolled his eyes at the king, hitting him with a sharp glare. "I had advised you not to fret, and you're doing so now."

"I do apologise," the king bowed his head downwards. "Before I go, old man, is there anything I should be wary of?"

"King Ed Walker," the words hung in the air like mist. "You are not a king of people or society. You are a king of industry and the economy. Remember this, and do not let it become your misfortune."

* * *

><p>It was a mild, spring day. Jay had been seated in one of the many benches in the royal gardens, sketching the wings of birds and humming the latest ballad composed by a celebrated town musician, when Lloyd ran up to the prince.<p>

"Your Highness! I've heard her lady, Princess Charming, will be visiting this week! Isn't this exciting?" the gardener's boy said, his eyes lighting up.

Jay slammed his sketchbook shut. "When did you find that out, Lloyd? That's wonderful! She's so brilliant! I've got all these inventions I need to show her! I hardly know any other princes or princesses into this sort of stuff!"

"You hear a lot of things when you're unassuming and quiet. The maids were all gossiping about it, and didn't even notice me!"

The prince chuckled. "Ha! Classic Lloyd! Sometimes I don't even know what things you get up to. You're a shining example of palace servants, you know that?"

Lloyd cringed a little at Jay's comment, but Jay didn't notice. Instead, the prince stood up, tucked his book under his arm, and began to advance his way towards the castle.

"Do you understand how great this is? I've been working on so many projects lately, and none of them has been appreciated!" Jay continued to talk. "This is so awesome, Charming and I can have the greatest alliance of machinery and complex engineering!"

"A _romantic _alliance?"

The prince's response was quick and automatic. "Naaaaah."

Lloyd arched an eyebrow, and quickly did a run and skip to catch up with the prince. "But haven't you seen her portrait! She's absolutely stunning. They say she's the cleverest princess in this land, and rich too! What wouldn't you want from this alliance? Look, I've even prepared stuff for you to give her. That's saying something."

"She's a bit too pale for my liking, I guess?" Jay said, tilting his head. "And her eyes, they're too piercing. It's rather freaky."

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Don't let that worry you, Your Highness. Pale skin is an image of beauty. I mean, what are you, a yellow chaser?"

Jay laughed. "Lloyd, there is nothing wrong with preferring girls who see the sun! After all, are you not a gardener? Shouldn't you be one of the people who, well, admire and live in the sun?"

"Oh, no, not one bit," Lloyd shook his head. "My skin's too pale, it burns. There's a reason why I wear a hat." And it was not just because of his pale skin. Lloyd thought about his hair. His benefactor, his guardian, always told Lloyd that there was no one with hair as gold as his – that his hair was shame, and should be covered. "My face should never resemble an over-ripe tomato!"

The prince laughed at if Lloyd had told a joke. "So, you said that you prepared something for her Lady Charming? What is it?"

Lloyd smiled, and waved a hand to a nearby greenhouse. "I've arranged a display of wildflowers for her. It's very colourful! I'm sure she'll like it as much as she likes you."

"Wildflowers?!" Jay almost dropped his book, his mouth falling open in shock. "Why wildflowers? Isn't Charming too, well, sophisticated? Too cultured? Too civilised for wildflowers?"

Lloyd blinked slowly, looking deeply insulted. "Wildflowers have a stronger smell," he said in a confused, yet stubborn tone. "She'll appreciate it."

"Lloyd, come on! I'm pretty sure royals don't stick their noses into flowers, especially flowers as plain as wildflowers!" Jay said to the gardener boy.

Lloyd arched a confused eyebrow. "But you do."

The other boy simply sighed. "Yes, but will Lady Charming? You know how the bards sing about her. I can't just offer her a bouquet of wildflowers and be all, '_hello Lady Charming_: _here's a bonquet of flowers. Why don't you smell them and get pollen on your nose?_'" The prince mimed some actions, extending a hand to a nearby rosebush as if were a lady, and waved his other arm as if he carried a bouquet of flowers.

"But, Your Highnes–" Lloyd said.

"Lloyd, don't interrupt me. This is important. What if she's not impressed by my work?" Jay sighed. "I can't do anything but make stuff. I can't swing a sword to save my life, I can't write poetry. If it's not scientific or artistic, I just can't do it. If Charming isn't impressed by what I do, then no one will be!"

"Awesome flower arrangements are impressive." Lloyd said. "You know, your Highness, you should really stop worrying and focus on h–". But before he could finish the sentence, Jay had already left, sprinting in the most unprincely manner towards the palace.

* * *

><p>King Ed Walker was, once again, concerned with the economy. The number of exports were decreasing and unemployment was increasing, and optimal trade routes were becoming more different to secure.<p>

And then there was his son.

Ever since his conversation with the wise man, the King had thought about the future adventure that his son would partake. However, months had passed, and Jay expressed no interest in the big wide world. If his son was destined for adventure, wouldn't Jay have an intense yearning to explore? This world was full of dragons to fight, dwarves in forests to visit, and witches to be cursed by. Yet, Jay simply sat in gardens, sketched flowers and pined over girls. It was sickeningly pathetic, the king thought.

Ed wished that Jay would at least pine over the right kind of girls, who had financial stability and owned a kingdom with plenty of goods and services. Even when Jay did, they never replied.

That worried the King. He was severely concerned for his son's future.

He did recall one time when Jay received a reply. Once, returning from a trip to a rather well-off kingdom, Jay told his father that the princess there would refuse to kiss him when he arrived, dressed like a prince, but would give him a hundred kisses and more when disguised as a swineherd. And so, he refused any proposal from her after that.

Now, Ed knew that Jay was involving himself in an alliance with Princess Charming, who was quite possibly the cleverest girl in the land. However, it was obvious that any relationship between them was strictly platonic, no matter how a possible marriage would enhance the kingdom's trading routes. That was a disappointment. Charming was one of the few princesses that Jay had an amicable relationship with, and he wasn't the slightest bit interested in marrying her.

At that moment, Jay burst into the throne room, twittering with excitement about Charming's visit this week. The King rolled his eyes at his son. Jay didn't notice, continuing to sprint through the throne room and up the stairwell.

The King let out a sigh, thinking about his son, who had once spurned a rich princess who languished for him, and now refused to partner up with a clever one. What did he do to deserve such an idealistic, quixotic son? "Please excuse me," he said, rising from his throne to face his council. "How do I teach my son to act his part?"

The council all pulled their heads together, muttering and murmuring among themselves. Their quiet discussion continued for ten good minutes. The tension in the throne room grew, and several nobles fidgeted nervously.

When the council finally finished, the councilmen all leaned back in their seats with satisfied smiles. The head advisor, however, stood up from his seat, his smile slightly wider than the rest:

"Your Majesty, I've heard stories of a recent punishment suitable for rebellious royals. You simply lock up the troublesome little prince in an isolated tower for a few months or years, stock him with food, and await for a fair maiden or gallant princess to ride by and rescue him. It's the _perfect plan_."

"But would that not separate me from my son?" the King inquired.

"So would marriage, my lord, and I see that you have no qualms about that."

"Hmm…" the king frowned, stroking his beard with a gloved hand. "If this is what it takes to teach my son a lesson, I will see to it! We must purchase an available tower as soon as possible, and relocate my son."

The advisor grinned again. "Not only that, m'lord. Any young heroine willing to retrieve him would gain his gratitude, and the prince would have to marry her! After all, who was the girl who rescued him from his predicament, and shouldn't she win something in return?"

The frown of the king lessened. "You speak well. A lesson for my son, and a solution to a troubling problem! This is an offer that I cannot refuse."

"I am pleased to hear that, sire. Your Majesty, this must be carried out before the Queen returns. I do not wish to see her grief-stricken face." The advisor stood up, and bowed before the king, before leaving the throne room, his boots tapping the marble floors softly like a drum. The other councilmen also rose, trailing after the advisor like a percussion line in a marching band.

The King returned to his throne, and rubbed his stubble in slight frustration. He knew his wife wouldn't return to the kingdom for at least a month, and arranging a tower would take a week at the most. Pulling out a sheet of parchment, he began to order an isolated-tower-for-troubled-royals from the cheapest company available.

_Dear Gothel Industries,_

_Please arrange a medium-sized tower containing supplies that would last nine months, and a convenient loudspeaker near the bottom. _


End file.
